Project info
- Developer Ross Gauld
- Showcase year 2023
- Programme Game Design and Production
Synopsis
This project is, at its core, an exploration of how players interact with NPCs. What makes a player relate to an NPC? How important is dialogue? Game mechanics? Physical design? How do these attributes inform and affect each other, and how do they coalesce into a positive game experience? This project evaluates each of these aspects of character design, analyses them through practise based research, and uses this analysis to develop a framework that allows for the creation of effective player-NPC relationships.
Player-NPC Relationship Dynamics
Creating a framework for the development of effective player-NPC relationships.
Credits
'Player-NPC Relationship Dynamics' is a 2023 Digital Graduate Show project by Ross Gauld, a Games Design and Production student at Abertay University.
Project Motivation
I have always loved games that have characters the player enjoys spending time with. So many games use characters as a vehicle for moving the game forward and nothing more. Stories that take the time to build characters, establish relationships, and evoke feelings are what separate good games from the bad. This project is all about looking at what goes into creating these characters, how players emote with and relate to them, and how to use these findings effectively.
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